AN: Good morning people! First of, many many thanks to MegaDiary123 for being an amazing person and Beta. Also, a thank you to all of you who continue to support this story. Next week, I will upload on Sunday instead of Saturday as it is a special occasion for this story. See you lots next week :)

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

On the ride in the marked vehicle, Coulson brought out his recording device and ordered me to tell him everything that happened from when we left the Bus with May to take my van to the alley for the files to unlock. Following the procedure in such cases, which was to debrief the agents involved as soon as possible after the mission for the loss of a minimum amount of details, I said in great detail everything that I could remember and which was relevant to the case. I left the talk that we had with May out of the equation, since he didn't need to know about this.

The rest of the ride was filled with a not-so-comfortable silence and I was really happy when we parked just outside of the ramp for the Bus' hangar.

I saw my van already parked and waiting for me. "An agent brought it back after they took Mr. Peterson in" Coulson said as if he had read my thoughts.

"Thank you" I genuinely said with a smile on my face as Jemma led the way to her laboratory.

After an earful from Jemma, about me not being careful enough, a few painkillers, a sling for my arm and the doctor's instructions to take it easy for at least a few days, we made our way to the upper level. The rest of the team were all gathered around the common area with Fitz at the sofas and the other three were in the debriefing room in a video call with the one and only woman I wanted an explanation from. Of course I couldn't hear what was being discussed in the room as all its doors were closed, thus making the room soundproof.

May's eyes, ever so observant, travelled briefly in my direction and the next thing I know I am told to join them, leaving Jemma behind.

This struck me as a bit strange, given that Jemma had helped create... whatever it was that had stabilised Mike. My best guess at the moment was that Fitz had brought everyone up to speed and Jemma's input wouldn't be a lot different from what had already been said.

"Agent Skye" Maria's voice acknowledged me when I walked in.

"Deputy Director Hill" I replied back with a small tilt of my head. "I am guessing you know what went down in the Union Station"

"That I do". I could see her eyes move briefly to my sling but her face remained the same mask as the one she wore in every meeting she had. Then she turned back to Phil, "I need to speak with you and my agent". I could hear Ward scoff at that, but he left without as much as a word, while May followed behind.

As soon as the door was once again sealed shut, it was Phil who broke the silence. "Care to explain what is going on Maria?" He asked not hiding his annoyance towards the whole situation. It was like a slap to my face.

Maria took a deep breath and looked at Coulson, with her eyes softening a bit. "As I told you when we spoke on the phone, Agent Skye, under mine and Director Fury's orders, infiltrated the Rising Tide. I am really sorry but you don't have the clearance to know any more of the details of the mission"

"Okay, then" Coulson folded his arms across his chest. "So what is going to happen now?" If Maria hadn't picked up on his annoyance before, the tone he used would have been enough to clear the field. Being the Deputy Director for so many years, he must not have been used to not knowing what was happening, maybe with some exceptions when the orders came straight from Fury. Suddenly being in a spot where he couldn't ask more questions about the situation was clearly frustrating him.

"I believe that Skye would benefit your newly founded team a lot" she said and raised an eyebrow as if daring Coulson to interrupt her. "This is, by no means, an order. The deal was, and still is, that as the team leader you are the one to call the shots and pick cases. This situation is no different. However I have worked with her for many years and if I am not mistaken she is familiar with most members of your team. She could help your team bond"

Coulson actually let a small laughter escape his lips at that. "I am not so sure about bonding with them. You remember how against this whole thing Ward was. Well... let's just say that ever since Skye came on board they have only been bumping heads" he shook his head and looked at me.

"Skye?" Maria asked, looking pointedly in my direction.

"It's true. I can't take all the credit for it thought, T-1ooo was the one who usually started it" I replied and looked back at Coulson who did acknowledge this fact. "But I can promise that no matter the situation, if it is for the benefit of the team then I am willing to work with him. I can't guarantee that we won't have our moments, but as long as he is willing to work with me, then I am willing to work with him"

Coulson seemed to analyse my face, maybe trying to find any sign that I was lying. Only problem with that was that I wasn't and he soon came to the same conclusion. "Fair enough" with that he extended his hand for me to shake. "Welcome to the team"

With a smile on my face I sealed the deal, "Thank you for having me".

This was a small victory for me. Despite him not remembering me, something that I had yet to learn the reason why, and despite him not really trusting me since the moment we met, I finally felt like we were on the right path. So, yeah. The smile that I had plastered on my face was as real as it gets.

I turned back around and saw Maria looking at the whole exchange before clearing her throat. "Now, if you will excuse us, Phil, there are some matters that I need to discuss with Skye"

With just a small nod of his head, Coulson left the room and silence engulfed us like a heavy blanket in a cold day.

"Before we start, I need you to make sure that the cameras in this room are all turned off, as well as the microphones" she said getting straight to the point.

It took me a handful of seconds more than it would have, had I had both my hands, but the job was done quickly. So when the sound on my typing died down, I didn't even lift my head to look at her. I took some deep breaths, calming myself down and waited to hear what Maria had to say because at that moment I was not sad. No. Sadness, guilt and a lot of other similar emotions had run through me for so many days, weeks, months before I picked myself up once again. And I had no doubt in my mind that once this day was over, these same feelings that I had tried to fight off would come back, just like that.

No, no, no. It was something else that was cursing through my veins with every thump of my heart. It was traveling all over my body as I gripped the edge of the table with my good hand and I tried to ground myself.

"I know this is hard for you and all I can say right now is that I am sorry–"

"The one thing" I whispered and she stopped talking. "The one thing that I asked for when I joined was that there would be no lies. Lies is what I despise the most and yet I am so accustomed to saying them every day to people that I know because it's for their own safety. Lies that I will have to keep saying every day just because I am a part of a team who has no idea what I can really do. Lies that only one person in this whole team knows about because this is what you ask of me. And telling lies is not what I have a problem with, it has become second nature by now. What I cannot stand is when I am told lies when I have done nothing to deserve them. It was just one thing that I asked when Fury decided to train me to become an agent. That I would be kept in the light for matters that I am related to. So tell me, Maria, what have I done to deserve something like that?"

My tone was so quiet that someone could mistake us for having a very civil conversation, could they hear us. But we both knew that this was far from it. I hadn't even realised the silent tears that were running down my face. I didn't know when they started, but I couldn't care less about hiding them from her. The others weren't around to see them, so the only witness would be the person in the screen in front of me.

"Do the others know?" I asked and didn't have to elaborate as to whom I was referring to,

"No" came the quick answer.

"You know, one of the reasons he didn't trust I was S.H.I.E.L.D. was because I told him that I was a high Level agent but didn't know about him being alive" I recalled. "What Level was he referring to?"

There was a pause from her side and I lifted my head to face her. When she saw my face, her own softened. "Seven. You would need to be Level 7 to know that"

I actually laughed at that and I could see the concern filling Maria's features even more. "Seven, huh? So, what? New York happened and then I was given the leave of absence when no one from S.H.I.E.L.D. contacted me, and why would I look further into it? After all Phil was dead. Or at least this is what I believed. And then I was sent into a 'deep' cover into the Rising Tide, with no contact apart from you and the Pirate. But had I looked at it, looked at the files concerning New York, would I have found the truth or would it all be lies?"

"The Director made sure that you wouldn't" she said. "Despite your Level 9 Clearance the specific document regarding that Phil was alive was sealed from you, as you are an Avenger as well"

I laughed at the formality of how she was speaking about this whole situation. "Let's not kid ourselves Maria" I said and the smile was still on my face. A not so healthy smile may I add. "It was not the fact that I am an Avenger that made you keep that file from me"

"Skye, I am really sorry about–"

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it Maria!" I yelled at her, my demeanour changing to anger instantly. The feeling that was boiling inside my veins finally making its grand appearance.

"I have spent more than two years re-living that day! You have no idea what I went through to get to the point where I am now and all you have to say is that you are 'sorry'? Who do you want to convince, huh? Me, or yourself? Or maybe you want to call Pepper and ask her how many sleepless or nightmare filled nights I have had in the past two years. You knew how hard Phil's death hit me. I was the one who killed him for crying out loud! I was the one who drove a spear through his heart and left him on the floor to bleed to death as I made sure the Alien-Nazi escaped!

"For fucks sake Maria. I was torn apart after what happened. It took me months before this hole in my heart even tried to start healing. And you were nowhere near to help, no. It was all because of my sister, my brother, Pepper and the others. Hell! Even the Captain freaking America, who couldn't stand me after everything that happened was there for me after seeing how much the death of someone, who I had grown to love as a father, did to me!" My anger was so great, but I was still holding back. "And then, what? I not only find out that he is alive, but that for some reason he has absolutely no fucking idea who I am? This is just a new low, even for you" my words full of disgust. "I know you like following the rules and now that you are Deputy Director you don't have much of a choice but this is like stabbing me in the back!"

"Skye" she finally said with a warning tone.

"Oh, don't 'Skye' me! I know what you want to say, okay? I am careful, I have been careful for years now. If you think that this is my whole wrath towards what is happening you are gravely mistaken. I am holding back. I am holding back so that this whole plane doesn't collapse onto itself, so that the ground doesn't start shaking and questions are asked. I know, okay? And I am going to work day in and day out, practically living with a person who I know so well, but can't say anything to because he has no idea who I a-am" I couldn't get the last part out without my voice breaking and a new set of tears running down my cheeks. "Well, thanks a lot. I wonder what the two of you are going to get me for a birthday present"

I took a couple of moments to collect myself, as I straightened my back and wiped away the last trace of the water that had escaped my eyes. "Now, I know that despite us being the same Level you outrank me, being DD and all. But I am going to say this once and you better pass this message because I really don't care what happens. Tell Nick, that he better come prepared to answer my questions. Soon. Because one way or another, I will get them and even if you send the whole of the organisation after me they will not stop me. Am. I. Understood?"

"Yes" was Maria's reply, not that I was expecting anything else.

"Great" I said seriously with a nod, the mask that Natasha had taught me how to wear taking its place on my face. "Now, if that is all, I need to accommodate myself in my new quarters" I made a move to shut the connection down when I heard my name being called.

I lifted my gaze and heard the continuation, "They can't know"

"And they won't. I will keep your secret and keep telling lies. I will discuss this issue further with Nick when he decides to make an appearance" and without hesitation I turned off the connection and took a deep breath.

I switched the cameras and microphones of the room back on before exiting the room, almost bumping into Jemma as she ran up to me as soon as she saw me with an exited smile on her face. "Agent Coulson told us the news! What a wonderful surprise!"

I smiled back at her, hoping that she wouldn't be able to see behind my fake smile and question what was going on. Because if she did, I didn't trust myself not to tell her, I had vowed not to lie to her after all. So I put on my best performance as she hugged me tightly, always careful of my injured shoulder and went on and on about the adventures we would have together. And I looked so excited on the outside, while I was slowing dying on the inside...